Carpenter Bees?? Help

[devildog1]

Has anyone out there had any experience with what I call Carpenter Bees?
They look like a big yellow Bumble bee, but are darker in color, they buzz around the house and barn. When they are looking for a place to make a nest they hoover like a helicopter in place. They seem to drill ,(eat) a perfect 7/16" or 3/8" hole in the wood and that's where they lay the larvae.Around here the type of wood doesn't seem to matter, Red Ceder, Pine or Pressure treated, the drill in all. Any idea how to trap them or do I look for the sawdust and them spray in bee spray to kill them, but holes are still there.Nasty little buggers they are.
DevilDog

 

[Ridgewalker]

When I was a kid we would watch to make sure the bee was in the hole and then we sealed it up with red clay. That seemed to work...

 

[RoyJackson]

Not much you can do (except paint your house...they don't like paint) until they bore. Then, in early evening (when they're inside protecting the queen), spray a little WD-40 in the hole(s). Kills the workers and the queens (plus any eggs). Then fill the hole with wood putty.
I live in a log house...never even heard of Carpenter bees until I bought this house.

One thing that's kind of fun (when you're really bored) is set outside when the workers are flying around. They can't sting you, but they'll dive in and try to intimidate you. Have an old tennis or badminton raquet handy and smack 'em around a bit. Those critters are kind of slow, so it's not too difficult.

Problem with Ridgewalker's suggestion is, unless you kill 'em, they'll bore out through another location...

 

[eepete]

They are nasty. Had big arguments with the architect for the house. He wanted lots of exposed wood and beams, I wanted everything boxed in and cement fiberboard. I 95% won. Only exposed wood is treaded wood on screened in porch and deck, that's also where we have the carpenter bees (or borer bees as they called down here). I know people that have cedar siding houses that are hating life.

I know some people have painted the pressure treat or exposed wood and the bees leave that alone. I'm close to doing that on our screened in porch, but have a test area going now to see if that's really true- hopefully others can chime in.

I wait for the sawdust and spray bee killer. If I can catch them in there, I'll put a piece of electrical tape over the hole (faster than filling it with something). You can also get good bating practice swatting them with a 3' 2x4, but it is easy to get carried away and loose track of your suroundings...

EDIT: Sounds like Roy has heard the paint will detour them approach. Badminton racquet sounds safer than a 2x4.

Nasty little buggers indeed !

Pete

 

[MikeD74T]

I had multiple infestations 3 years ago in the trim on my dormers. Went to a DIY pest control site (don't remember which one) & got a bulb duster, delta dust & drione dust. Mixed the dusts in equal parts in the duster. A couple puffs in each hole solved the problem. Eventually covered the trim with aluminum, that really slowed them down.
Also saw a trap in Farm Show magazine, esentially a cube of wood hung from a corner with 3/8" holes drilled sideways into a vertical 1" hole up from the bottom thru the center. Glue a 2 liter bottle cap in the 1" hole with a 3/8 hole in the cap. Bees enter the side holes looking to nest, get to the center hole, go toward the light into the 2 liter bottle. MikeD74T

 

[grnspot110]

I use a 50 cent flea market tennis racket, swat 'em right outa' the air! ~~ grnspot110

 

[2manyrocks]

Many of your insect sprays won't phase them. I found some Greenlight Multipurpose insect dust that will kill them, but you have to use a squeeze bulb or syringe to inject it their holes.

 

[Brad_Blazer]

My brother Brian invented a trap and existing hole treatment that are very effective. I helped him with the patent. Check out his videos.
Carpenter Bee Solutions - The Best Carpenter Bee Trap & Other Carpenter Bee Control Products

 

[Bartcephus]

I agree, NASTY BUGGERS....

I found that wasp and hornet spray will kill them. They have been boring into my tractor shed and getting thier "sawdust" on my tractor! (Gasp!) Something had to be done. I plugged their holes with tin roofing screws. (The ones with a rubber washer.) Listened to them get really buzzing then. After a weekend of my torture to them, they have left. Now when I see one, its the wasp and hornet spray that knocks them out. Before I started killing them, all you could here was their constant buzzing. It was quite annoying. They also call them "wood bees" down/over here...

Best Luck in ridding yourself of these pests..

 

[RobA]

Carpenter bees love my pine board and batten barn. I'd never heard of traps until this post. Great idea. THANK YOU!!

 

[Code54]

We had them real bad last year so I called a local exterminator and he came out and sprayed the entire house (I mean the entire house - used a truck mounted sprayer and hit our 20 foot high eve's no problem). Cost $125 for the first visit and mega spraying. Now I pay $30 a month all summer ( does not need sprayed in the winter and he does not charge if he does not spray) and he sprays inside and out, drops some glue traps and even sprays my out building for me - no bugs at all and NO bee's - got rid of every one of them. No sure what he used but it is supposed to be pet safe and it works GREAT. May want to look into it. Good luck

 

[smstonypoint]

A similar topic came up in another forum, I think Breaktime, some time ago.

One of the posters claimed that he shot carpenter bees with a 22. I was tempted to call BS, but refrained.


I have read and observed that the bees are less likely to try nesting in painted wood.

 

[rekees4300]

One of the posters claimed that he shot carpenter bees with a 22. I was tempted to call BS, but refrained.

True - As a kid many decades ago I shot them with a BB gun as they hovered...great challenge and fun.

 

[smstonypoint]

True - As a kid many decades ago I shot them with a BB gun as they hovered...great challenge and fun.

Don't you know that you could put your eye out.

 

[jbooth]

I'll buy into the shooting with a .22. Had a friend who would wait till he had an audience and then go get his .22. He used the bird shot. Of course he wouldn't tell anybody about the birdshot unless he got busted. He had a great time of it. Called it "sporting bees". We call the critters wood bees here. I guess if you are into tennis or badmitton that would be fun also.

 

[ragkar]

No problem at all. buy some contact poison dust like ant killer. Make sure that the brand that you buy has a straw. Spray the dust in each hole and then mark the hole with chalk.
Leave everything alone for a day in case they happen to not be at home. then come back the next day with half inch wood plugs and wood glue. The plugs fit perfectly in the holes.
I did that one year to fourteen holes. A few minutes later I heard a plop and a bee had fallen out of it's hole. My shoe put an end to its misery. In the next ten minutes eleven bees had fallen out.

 

[techwrtr2]

We have a huge problem with them here. Exterminator can deter them for a while but eventually they are back destroying the barn and trim on the house. Tomorrow will be spent on a lift repairing trim.

A favored pasttime of mine is using CRC Brake cleaner... They don't last long when hit with the stuff and you can shoot them out of the air. Spray it in the hole and everything inside dies with the quickness.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

I agree, NASTY BUGGERS....

I found that wasp and hornet spray will kill them. They have been boring into my tractor shed and getting thier "sawdust" on my tractor! (Gasp!) Something had to be done. I plugged their holes with tin roofing screws. (The ones with a rubber washer.) Listened to them get really buzzing then. After a weekend of my torture to them, they have left. Now when I see one, its the wasp and hornet spray that knocks them out. Before I started killing them, all you could here was their constant buzzing. It was quite annoying. They also call them "wood bees" down/over here...

Best Luck in ridding yourself of these pests..

Wood bees here too.

 

[Uncle Doug]

We used the tennis racket method, paid the grandkids a bounty of $1 each bee. It kept the kids busy for a few hours and got rid of a few bee's. Of course I was $20 lighter by the end of the day.

 

[Richard]

Of course I was $20 lighter by the end of the day.

Money well spent!